


Heart-Shaped Box

by islndgurl777



Series: give michael guerin a friend 2k19 (make that friend maria deluca) [7]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Gen, grade-a moping, ill-timed love confessions, liz and maria ship it but these boys are terrible at communicating, the girls have to do everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 08:50:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18385070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/islndgurl777/pseuds/islndgurl777
Summary: Liz is on Max’s couch, head in his lap with his fingers running through her hair while he reads aloud to her, when she gets a message in her group chat with Alex and Maria.[From: Alex] (9:37 pm): Michael needs someone right now.She sits up abruptly, apologizing to Max for almost hitting him in the face, and she types out her reply.[To: Alex; Maria] (9:38 pm): Why? What happened? Where are you?





	Heart-Shaped Box

**Author's Note:**

> The series is subtitled "make that friend maria deluca" but Maria is not actually in this one; she couldn't get away from the bar. But Liz is here! Which means a new POV! I hope I did her justice...
> 
> Unbeta'd. Title from Nirvana.

Liz is on Max’s couch, head in his lap with his fingers running through her hair while he reads aloud to her, when she gets a message in her group chat with Alex and Maria.

 

[From: Alex] (9:37 pm): Michael needs someone right now.

 

She sits up abruptly, apologizing to Max for almost hitting him in the face, and she types out her reply.

 

[To: Alex; Maria] (9:38 pm): Why? What happened? Where are you?

 

“What’s going on?” Max asks, setting the book down on the side table and watching her as she slips her shoes on.

 

“I don’t know,” she says, then lunges for her phone when it buzzes again.   


[From: Alex] (9:39 pm): I made a stupid mistake and hurt him. He doesn’t want to talk to me right now. I just left him at his place.

 

She exhales and says, “I gotta go. Something’s up with Michael.”

 

[To: Alex; Maria] (9:40 pm): On my way.

 

“What? Is he okay?” Max stands up with her, looking around for his own shoes.

 

“I don’t know, Alex says he did something to upset him.” She lays a hand on his arm and looks up at him. “I can handle this, Max.”

 

“But it’s Michael,” he says, confused.

 

She bites her lip, thinking of the best way to phrase what she needs to say. “I know, but he needs friends more than a brother right now. That’s why Alex texted me and Maria.”

 

He furrows his brow, hurt. She runs her hands down his arms to soothe him, and he bites his lip and nods. “Okay. But text me if he wants me to come, and I’ll be there. I know I haven’t been lately, but I want to be there for him.”

 

She nods and leans up to kiss the corner of his mouth. On her way out the door she shouts back, “I’ll make it up to you, you’re amazing, love you, I’ll text you later!”

 

It’s not until she’s buckling in that she realizes what she said. “Fuck.”

 

///

 

She can hear the dog barking on the other side of the door when she walks up to the airstream. She knocks and says, “Michael, it’s Liz. Can I come in?”

 

The door opens on its own and Daisy jumps up on her as she steps in. “Hey, Daisy-lady,” she says, scratching the dog’s ears while she wiggles in ecstasy. “Where’s your daddy?”

 

She looks up when she hears him grunt from under a pile of blankets on his bed. “What’re you doing here, Liz?”

 

“Alex texted me and Maria and said you needed us,” she says as she climbs into bed next to him. “Maria’s stuck at the bar, but I came. What happened?”

 

The lump next to her moves back and forth in what she assumes is a head shake. Daisy climbs on top of him and places her head on top of his. His hand snakes out from the pile of blankets to rest on her head. “I don’t want to talk about it yet.”

 

She lays down and kicks her shoes off onto the floor. “Okay, well how about I talk and you can jump in whenever you’d like.” He grunts in agreement and she nods, resting her hand on Daisy’s back. “I was with Max when I got Alex’s text. I left him to come here and on my way out I yelled that I loved him. For the first time. On accident.”

 

Michael makes a strangled sound from under the blanket and the whole bed starts to shake. Liz elbows him hard and says, “You’re such an asshole.”

 

“You just yelled it out as you left?”

 

She winces. “Yeah.”

 

“You’re an idiot, Ortecho.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They’re both quiet for a time before he carefully pulls the covers down, shifting Daisy so she’s not directly on top of his face. “There are worse ways to do it though, I guess.”

 

She scrunches her nose and says, “I have a history of terribly-timed love confessions though.”

 

“Oh? Do tell.”

 

Rolling her eyes, she turns on her side to face him and says, “My ex. The first time I told him I loved him, I was drunk on the anniversary of the accident.”

 

Michael’s face goes through a range of emotions before he says, “Oh.”

 

“Yeah,” she says, biting her lip. “I don’t think I really meant it, though, which is the worst part.”

 

He considers her for a time before he asks, “Did you mean it tonight?”

 

She sighs and shifts to pillow her head on her arms. “I felt how Max feels about me, when we connected after he healed me. It was...extraordinary. Like nothing I’d felt before. The depth of his love for me is...scary, but exhilarating. To know someone loves you that much...it’s a heady thing.”

 

He swallows hard, a lump in his throat. “It’s a heady thing to feel that for someone too.”

 

“Yeah, it is,” she says softly, a radiant grin covering her face, tears filling her eyes until they overflow and start dripping onto his blankets.

 

He snorts and lifts his hand to gently wipe the tears from her cheeks, a half smile curving his lips. “You’re lucky.”

 

“I know,” she says, gripping his hand in hers.

 

They stare at each other for a long time before he sits up, dislodging a grumbling Daisy. The puppy glares at them as she turns and plops down onto his pillow, curling up in a ball and closing her eyes. Michael shakes his head at her and he concentrates on lifting a box from the table to drop into Liz’s lap.

 

“What’s this?” she asks, sitting up and unfolding the lid.

 

He shifts guiltily and asks, “Did Maria tell you what I was building down there?” he asks, pointing to indicate the bunker.

 

She shakes her head and gasps when she pulls the wrapping aside. Inside is a pink-gold iridescent piece of glass, which shifts colors as she lifts it to inspect it further. “It’s beautiful. What is it?”

 

“It’s part of the ship,” he tells her. “I’ve been rebuilding it.”

 

She pauses in running her fingers lightly over the glass to look up at him. “You’re trying to go home?”

 

“I don’t know anymore,” he says softly. “I’ve been trying to find a way home for so long, trying to find answers about who we are and where we’re from…” He shrugs. “Trying to find my place.”

 

Liz sets the glass down and grips his hands in hers, meeting his eyes. “You have a place here, if you want to stay. People who care about you. You know that, right?”

 

He lets out a shaky breath and nods.

 

She nods in return and looks back to the glass. “Where did you get this?”

 

He clears his throat and says, “Alex had it.”

 

“Oh no,” she says, wincing. “He knew what it was?”

 

“Yeah, for a few months now,” he says, running a hand down his face.

 

She bites her lip. “Did he tell you why he kept it from you all that time?” She can guess, but she has to admit it was really not cool on Alex’s part.

 

He rolls his eyes. “He gave me some bullshit about not wanting to watch me leave, which is real hypocritical of him, considering the number of times I’ve had to watch _him_ leave.”

 

She tilts her head, considering him. “Why do you think it’s bullshit?”

 

“Because it just...doesn’t make sense!” he blurts, throwing his hands up.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because he’s never cared before if we’re apart, why should he care now?” His chest is heaving with emotion and the dishes in his cupboards are rattling.

 

She rolls her eyes. “For such a genius, you can be a real dumbass, Mikey.”

 

“What do you mean?” He collapses onto the bed, disturbing Daisy, who grunts unhappily and jumps down to the floor.

 

“I mean,” she extends the word in exaggeration as she lays down next to him. “He’s always cared, and he’s known deep down there was always going to be a chance to make things right and be with you. If you’re gone, that’s it. Not even a shred of hope for you two. That had to be terrifying for him.”

 

He stares up at the ceiling and considers her words. “How can you be sure?”

 

“Hasn’t that been something you’ve held in the back of your mind the last ten years?” He shifts uncomfortably and nods. “Why couldn’t it be the same for him?”

 

They’re silent for a minute before he sighs and says, “I guess you make a compelling argument, Ortecho.”

 

“You’re damn right,” she nods.


End file.
